Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0363
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[Page 363]
Huahine
July 1769
As soon as we landed Tupia squatted down on the ground & ranging us on one side & the Indians on the other began to pray our cheif who stood opposite to him answering him in kind of responses This lasted about a quarter of an hour in which time he sent at different intervals two hankercheifs & some beads he had prepard for the purpose as presents to Eatua these were sent among many messages which pass'd backwards & forwards with plantains & malapoides &c. in return for this present to the gods which it seems was very acceptable we had a hog given for our Eatua which in this case will certainly be our bellys.
17. Went ashore this morn & walkd up the hills found the productions here almost exactly similar to those of Otahite upon the hills the rocks & clay were burnt if any thing more than they were in that Island The people also were almost exactly like our late but rather more stupid & lazy in proof of which I need only say that we should have gone much higher up the hills than we did if we could have perswauded them to accompany us whose only excuse was the fear of being killd by the fatigue Their houses are very neat & their boathouses particularly very large one of those I measurd 50 long paces in lengh 10 broad & 24 ft high the Gothick arch of which it consisted was supported on one side by 26 on the other by 30 pillars or rather clumsey thick posts of about